Star Fox: Conquest
by Slayer21
Summary: After the narrow defeat of Andross and the rescue of Krystal, Team Star Fox heads back to Corneria to tell General Pepper of their victory. Little do they know that the General has his own news for Star Fox, some good, some bad... M for language/violence
1. Prologue: Late Night Panic

(A/N:) Hey there, all you fanfiction readers! I'm a big fan of this site, and I've been a long time reader. I guess I finally decided to start writing my own stories, so this would be the beginning of my very first fanfic. Constructive criticism is welcomed, but please try not to be too hard on me, guys. Well, here goes nothing!

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Prologue: Late-Night Panic

Fox flew his Arwing through the vastness of space, giving chase to enemy fighters fleeing the battle zone, or so he thought. Quickly maneuvering through the asteroid field, Fox saw a few fighters turn around to flank him.

_'Oh, no you don't,' _Fox thought.

He pulled his Arwing into a right-barrel roll, swinging around an oncoming asteroid, and sped up to break the enemy line.

"Gotcha," Fox said to no one. "I've got you guys cornered."

Fox fired his dual laser cannons, and after few successful hits, five of the six ships in the area exploded in a shower of machinery. The last remaining ship turned and fled, the pilot obviously intimidated and hoping to fight another day. Satisfied that his work was finished, Fox turned on the COM channel linked to the Great Fox, the dreadnaught- class cruiser that served as Star Fox's base of operations.

"Peppy, this is Fox. I'm returning to base." Fox said.

"Roger that. What's the situation?" Peppy Hare asked.

"The mission is a success. We managed to defeat the enemies around the base. Looks like some of them fled the battle, though. Must have gotten scared or something." Fox reported.

"Hmph, you're making it sound like it was hard to beat under-trained pilots. What about Leon? Did he escape, too?" Peppy questioned.

Fox sighed lightly. "Yeah, I think so."

There was a long pause over the COM before Peppy spoke again. "Hm, alright. It's not a problem. We've still gained ground with this victory. Good job, Star Fox. Come on back to the ship. I'll leave the hanger open for you."

"Got it. Thanks, Peppy," Fox stated. "Falco, Slippy, Krystal, let's head back."

... No response...

"Come on, guys, quit messing around. It's time to head back." Fox instructed.

More silence greeted his words.

"Guys?" Fox called more worriedly this time. "Falco, Slippy, Krystal, report!"

When Fox still heard nothing from his teammates, he began to panic. _'Oh no!' _Fox thought.

Fox's Arwing accelerated through the asteroids, doing pitch-and-rolls through them. Fox couldn't see his friends anywhere. _'Damn it. Not even the radar can pick 'em up. What in the world is going on here?!' _Fox thought. As he turned around another asteroid, Fox came upon a scene that made him gasp.

Parts of many different fighters were scattered everywhere in the vacuum. In the background, the Sargasso Hideout floated among the asteroids, but what made Fox freeze was the sight right in front of his Arwing.

Falco, Slippy, and Krystals' Arwings were completely dismantled. Wings, boosters, engines, G-diffusers, all of it randomly placed in space. In the middle of it all, however, were Falco, Slippy, and Krystal, dead.

Fox stared with wide eyes in disbelief. "No..." he whispered. "No! No, no, noo! This can't be happening! Why?! It's not happening! Why? Why?!" Fox shouted as he held his head in his hands, crying.

"Fox? Fox! What's going on?" Peppy piped in over the COM.

"Nooooo! Noooooo-"

* * *

"-oooo!" Fox shouted as he jolted up out of his sheets. He was breathing heavily, sweat running down his face. Fox ran a hand down it, sighing through his nose. _'Holy shit, that was crazy. Glad that was just a dream.' _Fox thought.

As the vulpine finished his thought, Peppy walked through the sliding door, with a candle in his left hand.

"You OK, Fox? I heard you screamin'." Peppy asked with concern evident on his face.

"I'm not entirely sure, Peppy." Fox answered.

"Was it a dream?" Peppy asked.

"Yeah. A nightmare at that, and I'm not sure what to make of it." Fox replied.

"Do you want to talk about it. It might clear your head." Peppy requested.

Fox sighed. "No. Not right now. It kinda shook me up."

"That bad, huh?" Peppy asked, giving Fox a thoughtful look.

"Yeah." Fox said in a low voice.

Peppy rubbed his chin in a thoughtful way, eyeing his team captain. "Well, alright, but only if your sure."

"I am." Fox said, more to himself than to Peppy.

"OK, Fox. Get some sleep, though. You're not going to be much use to the team if your tired." Peppy said, ending his session of 20 questions.

Fox chuckled at the hare's comment. "Got it. Thanks, Peppy."

"Not a problem, Fox." Peppy said, going back to his room.

_'What would I do without that old rabbit?' _Fox thought cheerfully. The vulpine got out of bed to go to the washroom and get a drink of water. He also checked to make sure that the Great Fox was still docked on Sauria before going to bed. As he made his way back to his room, he tried his best to forget about the nightmare. When he got back into his bed, he checked the time on his wrist communicator. It read 2:30 a.m. _'Damn, even with a good 5 hours of sleep, I'm still going to be tired as hell in the morning.' _Fox thought as the power of sleep overcame him yet again.

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(A/N: Well, there's the start! let me know what you think in the reviews, since that's kind of the point! See ya for Chapter 1!)


	2. Chapter 1: The Newest Member

(A/N: Hi there, people. I've got to say, this fanfic stuff takes a lot of time and planning. This chapter didn't take much thought because of what happens in it, but it's still a lot. Thank you Darkinspace and Hopeless-Tyronosfor reviewing! I'm glad you guys thought the prologue was good. Anyway, here's chapter one! Just a side note, I'll be introducing my OC in the next chapter. I guess it's something to look forward to!)

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Chapter 1: The Newest Member

Fox's alarm clock on his wrist communicator went off with a blare. Fox opened his eyes slowly, giving off a groan when he heard the alarm. He turned it off, slowly rose from his sheets, and sat on the edge of the bed, his hands on his knees.

He sat there for a few seconds, then he looked down at his communicator on his left wrist. The time showed 7:02 a.m. He let off another groan.

"Man, I'm going to need a cup of coffee." The vulpine tuned his COM to ROB's frequency. "Hey, ROB, can you get some coffee ready for me?" he asked, looking down at the screen.

ROB's rectangular face popped up on the screen. "Affirmative, sir." the robot's cold, lifeless voice responded.

Fox nodded and shut the frequency off, gave a sigh, and stood up with a huff. He walked over to his closet, opened it, and put on his morning clothes, which consisted of a simple white T-shirt and a pair of gray shorts. He also put on a pair of tan-colored house slippers. He walked over to his door, it slide open, and Fox came upon a scene that made his brow furrow in confusion.

The vulpine's long-time friend, Slippy Toad, was banging his fist against the door of another friend of Fox's, Falco Lombardi.

"C'mon, Falco. Get up!" The height-impaired toad was yelling. "Peppy's been up for an hour and half and Fox just got up. We've got work to do!"

"Argh! Go away!" Falco shouted from inside his room, the sound slightly muffled from a possible pillow.

"What's up, Slippy?" Fox asked as he walked over.

Slippy swung his head around to his taller friend. "Falco's still in bed and he won't get up!" he complained.

Fox put his hands on his hips and raised a brow in curiosity. "How long have you been banging on his door, and why is it locked?"

Slippy crossed his arms defiantly. "Not that long, and I've no idea." he said eyeing Falco's door suspiciously.

Fox chuckled and walked over to the door. "Alright, stand back. Let me give it shot." he said.

Slippy nodded at his orders. Fox lightly knocked on the door.

"Hey, Falco. C'mon, man. It's time to get up." Fox said.

His response was a grunt and the sound of shuffling sheets. Fox gave off an irritated look.

"Everyone else is up, Falco. It's your turn. _Now_." Fox said more forcefully.

Fox received the same reply he got before. Fox bared his teeth.

"Falco, get your ass out of bed right now, or I'm taking away your Arwing privileges!" the vulpine shouted aggressively. He didn't like Falco being unresponsive, even if he did just get back.

"Go bug someone else, will ya!?" Falco shot back.

Fox sighed. _'How am I gonna get through his head? He's gotta have kind of weakness. Everything does!' _he thought. He continued to think, then after a few moments, Fox smiled evilly.

Slippy looked at him curiously. "What are you up to, Fox?" he asked.

Fox kept his evil grin on his face as he answered his small, green friend. "Just watch." he stated. Fox turned his attention to the locked door.

"Hey, Slippy, did I tell you that Katt arrived here in the middle of the night? Yeah, I think she said something about wanting to talk to Falco, but she was kinda tired an-" Fox said loudly, but was cut off by a flash of blue and gray. Falco stood in the middle of the hallway swinging his head back and forth.

"Where? Where is she?" Falco demanded.

"Who?" Fox asked innocently. Slippy chuckled slightly.

"You know who! You were just talking about her! Where is she?" Falco persisted.

Fox couldn't contain himself and started to laugh. "Not here!" he said while he high-fived Slippy.

Slippy was laughing as hard as Fox. "That was great! How'd you know it would work?" Slippy asked though his laughter.

"Well, it's simple," Fox replied, pausing to take a breath, but didn't finish his statement.

"Oh, _really_!" Falco interrupted angrily. "What would that be, eh Foxy?"

"You're obsessed with Katt." Fox said to his avian friend. Fox and Slippy both erupted in more laughter.

Falco gave a scowl and clenched his fists in anger. "McCloud, I'm gonna kill you!" Falco screamed, throwing up his right fist in front of his chest.

"Hey, hey. Calm down, Falco. It was just a joke." Fox said while waving his hands in front of his chest, but still laughing.

"Is that right?" Falco said. "Well, I don't think it's funny."

"Of course not, Falco. The joke's on you!" Slippy stated as he began to laugh harder. Fox did the same, both of them holding their sides.

Falco snarled and was about to beat the both of them down, but the confrontation was interrupted by a certain blue-furred vixen.

"What's with all the racket, boys?" Krystal asked in a sweet voice.

At the sound of Krystal's voice, Fox stopped laughing completely and turned his attention to her.

This action didn't go unnoticed by Falco. "Now who's obsessed?" The avian teased his leader.

Fox snapped out of his trance at Falco's jeer. "Shut it, birdy. Get ready for breakfast." he instructed.

Falco just stood there, staring at Fox with a smirk on his face and his arms crossed, tapping his foot.

"That was an order." Fox said dryly.

Falco chuckled. "As you wish, your majesty." the avian said, bowing sarcastically. He walked back into his room, locking the door behind him.

Slippy was the only one who answered Krystal's question. "Fox and I made Falco get out of bed, and Falco got pissed at us." he explained turning to her.

She looked at him blankly. "Yes. I caught that much, Slippy, but there seems to be more to it than that." she inquired. "Judging by your laughing..."

"It was the way we got him out." Fox answered. He shared a look with Slippy, and they both snickered. Krystal shook her head at them and shrugged.

"Well, I'm going up to the kitchen. I'm starving." Slippy announced.

"We'll meet you up there." Fox told him.

"OK. See ya." the toad stated, taking his leave. Fox watched his friend go before turning to Krystal.

"Sleep well? It _was _your first night on the ship." Fox asked politely. Krystal had been rescued and Sauria liberated only one day before, so mostly everything was totally new to her. All the doors on the ship, which are all sliding, made her jump every time.

Krystal nodded her head. "It was very relaxing. Almost fantastic!" she exclaimed. "I haven't slept that good in, well..... I can't even remember!"

"Wow! I didn't know the spare room's bed was so comfortable." Fox said sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

Krystal laughed and put her hands on her hips. "Oh, you know what I meant." she said, waving a hand at him. They shared a laugh, and began walking to the kitchen. They walked in silence for a minute, but Fox broke it, trying to start conversation.

"So, um, where do you plan on going, Krystal?" the vulpine asked curiously.

"What? Am I a burden to you, Fox?" she replied playfully.

Fox didn't catch that she was toying with him. "N-no! I was just curious!" He said frantically waving his hands in front of his chest.

Krystal laughed at him. "I was just kidding, Fox." she said as she lightly tapped his upper arm with her fist.

"Oh." Fox stated, chuckling nervously. "Well?" he pressed.

Krystal shrugged. "To be honest, I've no idea. I don't have a home to go to, except maybe Sauria, but I can never go back there again."

"Didn't you say that Cerinia was your birth planet?" Fox asked. Krystal nodded. "What about that? Can't you go back?"

Sadness clouded Krystal's sapphire orbs. "Well, I don't think I can because i-it's not there anymore..." she trailed off, looking down at the floor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Krystal." Fox said with a guilty expression. _'I didn't know I was bringing up depressing memories.' _Fox thought.

Krystal shook her head, looking into Fox's eyes. "It's alright. You didn't know."

Fox nodded, returning her gaze. "Do you know what happened? I would think that you would be able to know, being a telepath and all."

Krystal shook her head again. "You would think that, but for some reason, my mind can't seem to grasp that memory." the vixen admitted. "The only thing I know about the event was that the planet exploded. The fortunetellers on Sauria told me that."

Fox narrowed his eyes in thought. "That couldn't have been a natural occurrence." he stated quietly. "Aren't you sad losing all of your friends and family?"

"I was, and it will probably always make me sad when I think about it, but I've learned to get over it." Krystal replied.

Fox stared at her in disbelief. "You're telling me the death of all your people hasn't affected you?! That's gotta take a lot of discipline." he said.

Krystal smiled at the vulpine. "Yes, but I was raised that way when I was a child. 'Self-discipline is the key to victory in the game of life.' my father and grandpa would always say." she explained. "I guess you could say it stuck with me."

Fox looked at her curiously. "Well, I have to say. That's pretty good advice for people that lived such a primitive way of life." Realizing what he had said, he waved his hands in front of his chest again. "No offense."

Krystal nodded. "No taken." As she finished speaking, the pair of foxes came up to a pair of sliding doors. When they got close enough, the doors slide open quickly and without warning, causing Krystal to shriek and fall in surprise. Fox reacted smoothly and caught her mid-fall, slightly holding her bridal style, her feet still on the ground. They both noticed their positions immediately, causing them both to blush and stand up awkwardly.

Fox, scratching the back of his head, was the first to speak. "Heh, needless to say that you gotta get used to that. I guess I can call you 'technologically impaired' from now on, huh?" Krystal brushed her thighs off and gave him an 'Oh, shut up.' look. She then turned around and started to walk again, holding up her chin in defiance. Fox followed her with a sly smirk on his face after he snickered at her response. As he caught up with her, Fox began to think about Krystal's situation.

_'Well, let's see. She doesn't want to go back to Sauria, and I can't say that I blame her, even if she misses Tricky. She doesn't have a planet to live on anymore, which brings the fact that she has no family or friends to live with. Hm, maybe I should offer her a home here. I could always have an extra hand on the team, and besides, I like her too much to let her go. Hell, maybe I'm in love. Although, this wouldn't be the first time.' _Fox thought, his mind weighing his options, and when a picture of his ex-girlfriend, Fara Phoenix, crossed his mind, his face gave off an awkward formation. Fox's eyes drifted to Krystal as she was walking, his green orbs going from the beautiful contours of her face, down to her lightly swinging bottom. _'Wow. Where did _that _come from?' _he thought devilishly. _'God damn, she's so beautiful.' _he continued to think.

Krystal noticed Fox was staring at her, but instead of yelling at him for it, she decided to play with him. "What are you staring at, Fox?" she asked in a sensual voice.

"N- nothing! Nothing at all!" Fox stammered, immediately turning his head forward. A bright-red blush had formed under his fur.

Krystal laughed, lightly blushing herself. _'Does Fox like me? Hm, I hope he does.' _she thought. Meanwhile Fox was looking at the vixen through his peripheral vision, looking very nervous. _'He's so cute when he's nervous.' _Krystal thought.

Fox was contemplating his own thoughts. _'Damn, I've gotten rusty at peeking. She caught me easily. Maybe she's just too watchful.' _Fox mentally slapped himself for thinking sexually about Krystal.

The pair walked in silence the rest of the way, and when they got to the kitchen, everyone, even Falco, was there. Slippy was sitting at the large round table in the middle of the room, eating pancakes that ROB had cooked for the team, and drinking a glass of milk. Falco was leaning against the wall, drinking a soda. Peppy was across the room, giving ROB a routine maintenance check while holding a cup of coffee. No one noticed Fox and Krystal walk in until Fox addressed them.

"Morning, team," the vulpine said, smiling.

"Mornin', Fox," Peppy replied first, barely looking away from ROB.

"Hey," Falco said, tilting his head up a little.

"Hey, Fox," Slippy said, "There are lots of pancakes left. ROB made a little too many for me to eat, so dig in!"

"Thanks!" Fox said excitedly. Pancakes were his favorite breakfast food.

"Thank you, Slippy." Krystal said politely, even though she had never eaten pancakes before. She had seen other people eating something like them when see was younger, but her parents never made them, from what she could remember.

Fox walked over to the kitchen counter, with Krystal close behind him. Fox stopped right in front of a giant glass plate stacked high with pancakes. Fox turned to Krystal, pointing to a sign that had been hung above the plate. Krystal looked at it. The sign read 'The Giant Plate O' Pancakes.'

"Next to my command chair on the bridge, this is my favorite thing on this ship." Fox told her. Krystal, smiling brightly at his remark, nodded her head.

Fox turned back to The Giant Plate O' Pancakes, eyeing every pancake with greed, licking his lips and rubbing his hands in front of his chest. Krystal shyly peeked over his shoulder, unsure of what to do. "Chow time," Fox said greedily. He quickly grabbed a plate from an open cabinet and surveyed the pancake tray. _'Blueberry, no, raspberry, no, regular, no, oh come on, where is it?!' _Fox thought. Krystal had decided to read his mind at that moment, and the sound of her laughing cutely could be heard, no one knowing why.

Fox continued to shuffle through the stack of pancakes with his fork until he had found what he was looking for. "Aha! Found it!" he quietly exclaimed in victory.

"What is it?" Krystal asked, curious.

"Chocolate chip!" Fox said, holding up his prize.

"Is that your favorite?" Krystal pressed.

Fox nodded and smiled. "Damn right it is!" he stated. Krystal laughed at him.

While Fox was putting another chocolate chip pancake on his plate, Krystal poked Fox on the shoulder. He turned around. "What's up?" he asked.

"Um, well, Fox. I don't know which kind to get." Krystal said nervously.

Fox gave her a curious look. "You've never had pancakes before, have you?" Krystal shook her head. The vulpine smiled. "Well, I guess you could try blueberry to start off. Those are pretty good." Fox told her, holding out his fork with a blueberry pancake on it. Krystal grabbed a plate from the cabinet and Fox put the pancake on the saucer.

Fox went over to the table and sat down, Krystal following suite. Fox quickly started to devour his food. Krystal did the polar opposite, taking small, famish bites. After pouring a little syrup on her breakfast, she took her first bite of pancake. _'Mhm! This is delicious! Where have I been all these years?' _Krystal thought with delight.

After finishing his first pancake, Fox narrowed his eyes and looked up at Falco. "Hey, Falco." Fox stated, getting the avian's attention. "How'd you get up here so fast? I'd have thought you'd still be down in your room."

Falco smirked. "That's my little secret." he replied. Fox just shrugged and turned back to his plate. Slippy had finished his meal by this time, since he had gotten up and went over to the sink to rinse his dishes.

As the toad was walking out, Fox stopped him. "Hey, Slips, can you check the COM record to see if anyone has contacted us?" Fox asked through a mouthful of food.

Slippy nodded. "Sure. I was on my way to the bridge anyway." he answered.

"Great. Thanks." Fox said.

"Yep." Slippy nodded again.

Peppy looked up from behind ROB. "I'll be up there in a minute, Slippy. I've got to find something for ROB." the old hare said, jumping into the conversation.

Slippy shrugged. "Alright." was Peppy's reply. Slippy walked through the doors he was standing in front of.

A few minutes passed, and once again Fox and Krystal were by themselves. Falco had gone up to the bridge with Peppy and ROB. _'Now's my chance! Do it, Fox! Ask her!' _the vulpine thought. "Hey, Krystal, can I ask you something?" he said while putting his plate in the dishwasher.

"Of course. Ask away." the vixen responded, getting up from the table.

Fox just stood there for a second, watching the graceful movements Krystal made walking over to the sink. _'Screw I think, I _know_ I'm in love. I can't even think about her without getting this warm feeling in the pit of my stomach.' _Fox put his hand to his mouth, then looked down at his finger. _'Was I just drooling?' _he wondered.

Krystal put her plate in the dishwasher after washing it, then turned to team captain. "Fox, you were going to ask me something?" she said, interrupting Fox's thoughts.

Fox looked at her. "What? Oh, right. Well, I, uh, was wondering if you, um, would like to, uh, um..." he stopped. _'Man, just say already, McCloud! Why the hell is this so hard?!' _Fox thought angrily.

Krystal gave Fox a confused look. _'What's got into him? Whys he stuttering so much?" _the vixen wondered.

Fox shook his head of his thoughts and swallowed, taking a breath after. "Krystal. I'd like you to stay and join the team, please." he said firmly.

Krystal was taken aback. She almost tripped over her own feet after his statement. _'Did he just ask me to join his team?' _she thought. His request was so unexpected that she was almost speechless, but she was happy that Fox wanted her to stay with him. "Well, Fox. I don't really know what to say. Will I be a liability to the team?" she asked him.

Fox smiled at her. "Of course not, Krys. If not for anything else, stay for me, please. I want you to be on the team." _'For more reasons than you know.' _his mind told him to say, but Fox shook that thought away.

Krystal smiled brightly at his words. _'Krys? Hm, I think I like it.' _she thought. "Well, if that's the case then yes, yes I will!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Fox's neck in an embrace. Fox's green orbs were spread wide in astonishment, his mouth slightly open, but nonetheless returned the hug, putting his arms around her waist. Both foxes were blushing underneath their fur. Krystal rested her chin on Fox's shoulder for a moment. "Thank you, Fox." the vixen said. _'I could get used to this!' _she thought happily.

Fox smiled. "You're welcome." the vulpine replied. Fox let Krystal end the hug, as she did just that a second or two after his response. The pair of foxes went their separate ways, Fox back down to his room, and Krystal to the bridge.

* * *

Krystal walked through the sliding door she had seen all the others go through, trying to find her way to the bridge. Fox had given her detailed directions, but it was still hard for her to find her way. She walked up a flight of stairs and into a large hallway with many doors on both sides. She was confused as to which door was the one to the bridge, but soon remembered Fox saying that the door to the bridge was large, detailed, and important looking. She found said door at the end of the corridor. It had two sliding doors, both large in size and detailed with glass in some parts.

Krystal nodded to herself. _'This has to be it.' _she thought. As she approached the doors, she half-expected herself to jump away from them when they opened. She did just the opposite, surprising herself, walking right through the slow moving, metallic doors. _'I expected those to move quicker. I'll definitely have to get used to these doors.' _she thought. As the doors closed behind her, she looked around the brightly lite room, her jaw dropping slightly at the sight beheld. _'Wow. I never expected the bridge to be so high-tech.' _she thought. _'All this technology is starting to make my head hurt.'_ She blue eyes continued to scan the room as the rest of the team started to notice her presence, Peppy being the first.

The old hare looked back at her, noticing her quietness. "Well, what do ya think of the bridge? Impressive, isn't it?" he asked the telepathic vixen.

Krystal nodded. "Yes, it's very nice." she said, unsure, but trying her best to sound respectful.

Peppy gave her a curious look. "There's no need to be formal, Krystal. I can only guess that Fox asked you to be on the team already." he said.

Krystal nodded. "Yes, he did." she replied. Peppy looked at her expectantly, his hands moving in a "Go on." gesture. "And I agreed." she finally stated. Peppy nodded and got up to walk over to her.

Peppy smiled and shook her hand. "Welcome to the team, Krystal." he said.

Krystal smiled in return. "Thank you, Peppy. I'm still not sure of what I can do to help you guys, though." she admitted. Slippy turned around in his chair, hearing voices behind him.

Peppy shook in head. "Oh, don't worry about that for now. We won't have any mission's for a while yet." he said reassuringly. Slippy saw Peppy and Krystal standing next to each other, and the toad, being nosy, got out of his chair to hear what they were saying to each other.

Krystal still looked a little distraught. "I don't know, Peppy. Are you sure I won't be a problem to the team?" she asked. Slippy started to walk up the stairs in the central aisle.

Peppy nodded to her. "I'm absolutely sure. Don't worry yourself over it, because now your a member, and once a member, always a member." he said simply. Slippy reached the top, hearing the word "member" spoken by Peppy.

Krystal smiled sincerely. "Thanks, Peppy. I needed that." she said. Peppy nodded.

Slippy seized the pause to speak himself, surprising both Krystal and Peppy. "Member? Are you part of the team now, Krystal?" the toad asked excitedly. Krystal and Peppy both jumped and looked at the hyperactive frog angrily.

"Yes I am." Krystal answered proudly. Slippy looked ready to burst with excitement, his smile widening at her response.

Before he could reply, however, Falco butted into the conversation. "You're on the team now? Cool. Now Star Fox has it's ace pilot back," the avian said, pointing to himself, "And now the team has a psychic. Hmph, all we need is a good mechanic and we're set." he sneered, looking at Slippy.

Slippy ignored his friend and said his "congratulations" to Krystal. Falco did the same. Slippy went back down to his desk, looking for a wrench to throw at Falco. Peppy went back to his post next to where ROB was standing, while Falco remained next to Krystal, the both of them speaking nonchalantly to each other.

Suddenly, the double sliding doors began to open, causing Krystal and Falco to look. When the doors opened fully, Fox stepped onto the bridge, his feet light, as if happy. Krystal blushed at the sight in front of her. _'Wow. He looks fantastic.' _she thought.

Fox was wearing large red boots with black rims and shin guards attached to the boots, dark green, tight-fitting pants with red stripes going down them, his Star Fox team belt, a tight-fitting dark green shirt with a small red scarf around his neck, and his grayish-white flight jacket over the shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the Star Fox emblem on the left side of the jacket above the pocket. He also wore red and gray fighting gloves with his fingers coming out of them. He also had his blaster pistol holster strapped to his right thigh, the firearm safely inside it's container.

(A/N: That's his look from Super Smash Bros. Brawl if you didn't already know.)

By now, Slippy and Peppy had noticed their captain's presence, and he addressed Fox immediately. "Hey, Fox. General Pepper tried to contact us this morning." the toad explained.

"Hmph," Fox replied, nodding, "I thought he might. After all, we were on Sauria for what, like, two weeks?" he continued, laughing.

"You would been there longer if I hadn't have shown up." Falco said, smirking.

Fox looked at the avian. "You know what, you're right, Falco." Fox walked over to Falco, putting his arm around the ace pilot, giving a noogie. "Thanks, buddy! You're such a great pal!" Fox said half-sarcastically.

"Alright! Alright! I get it!" Falco cried, pushing Fox off of him. "Jeez, you're such a pain, you know that?"

Fox laughed. "Sure. Whatever, bird-brain." Fox turned away from Falco to Slippy, who was laughing at what had just taken place between his leader and Falco. "What time did Pepper try to contact us, Slips?" the vulpine asked.

Slippy stopped laughing to answer. "Um, according to the COM record, he sent the message at 6:03 a.m." Slippy replied. Fox put on a thoughtful look.

"Man, that old hound-dog wakes up too damn early." Peppy commented.

Falco looked at the hare disbelievingly. "Oh, you don't have any right to talk, gramps. You got at 5:30. If that's not crazy, I don't know what is!" Falco stated. Everyone shared a laugh at Peppy's expense, but Fox was the first to stop, looking at Krystal.

"Did you tell them yet, Krystal?" the Star Fox leader asked her.

Krystal smiled. "Yep. They were all excited about it, too. I hope." she said. Fox smiled at her, looking into her eyes. The vixen smiled back, looking into his. The pair of fox's were locked in each others' gaze for a moment, before Falco snapped his feathers in Fox's face.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" the avian asked sarcastically. Fox and Krystal both looked at him with narrowed eyes, annoyed.

"Of course not, Falco." Fox replied, baring his teeth. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to ask you something." Falco said. He then looked at Krystal. "Privately."

Fox gave his a curious look, then told Krystal that Falco needed to speak to him. She nodded, walking away. Fox looked back at his friend. "Well, what is it?" he asked.

"I know Krystal being on the team will help drastically as far as telepathy goes," Falco paused.

"Go on." Fox prodded.

"Well, I don't want to sound conceited, but what can she do as far as being a pilot? She'd be a dead-weight in an air battle. You can't deny that." Falco explained.

Fox sighed, knowing what Falco said was true. "To be honest with you, I've no idea what kind of pilot she is or will be, but just give her a chance. She'll prove herself sooner or later." Fox said, looking at Falco straight in the eye.

Falco eyed Fox suspiciously. "I'm sure you havin' a thing for her had no influence on your decision to ask her to join." he crossed his arms, smirking.

Fox put on a nervous face. "What makes you think I asked her?" he said.

Falco gave him a smug look. "That isn't the answer to my question." he said, still smirking.

"Of course it wasn't, Falco." Fox tried to convince.

"Yeah. Whatever, Foxy." Falco replied before walking back down to his seat on the far left. Fox shook his head as Slippy jumped from a beeping sound coming from his desk. He jogged over to check the reason for the alert. The toad looked at his desk screen, then turned his head to Fox.

"Fox, the General's contacting us again." Slippy reported.

"Patch him through." Fox ordered. Slippy nodded, touching his desk's screen, then walked in front of the middle screen in the set of three center screens, the middle being the largest of the three. Fox, Falco, Krystal, and Peppy walked down to stand with Slippy. ROB stayed where he was. As the team gathered together, General Pepper's image popped up on the center screens.

"Ah, Fox. Good to see you again. I'm glad to see that the mission is finally over. I was beginning to worry about you. The mission was successful, I hope." Pepper's booming and commanding voice sounded.

"Yep. Of course, General." Fox replied, giving Pepper a small salute.

"Well, what's up, General Pepper?" Slippy asked.

"Well, I need you to come back to Corneria. Debriefing is a mandatory process, but I also need to have a word with you, Fox, in person. It's of great importance, I assure you." the General explained. Fox raised a brow in curiosity at Pepper's words, but kept quiet.

Falco was the one who spoke. "Yeah! Corneria here we come!" he shouted enthusiastically, fist-pumping once. Fox could never figure out why the avian loved the city, but he pressed him about it.

Fox looked up at the screen. "We'll get there ASAP, sir." Fox assured.

"Good. Glad to hear it." Pepper replied. The General turned his attention to Krystal, giving her a confused, yet slightly mischievous look. "Who's this?" he asked.

"This is Krystal. She was on Sauria when we got there. We rescued her during the mission, and now she's a member of the team." Fox explained.

"Rescued? Was she being held prisoner by anyone?" General Pepper asked.

Fox thought about how he should word he reply. "Well, sort of. I'll tell you the details when we get to Corneria." the vulpine answered.

The General nodded. "Hm, fair enough." The hound dog turned his attention back to Krystal. "Good to meet you, Krystal." he said to her.

"The pleasure is all mine, General." Krystal replied, bowing slightly out of respect for his position.

The General nodded at her response. "I'll expect you all to arrive by this time tomorrow. Pepper out." the old hound said as he cut the line, his image disappearing from the screen. Fox nodded, turning around to his teammates.

"ROB, start the course to Corneria immediately." Fox ordered, receiving an "Affirmative." from the robot. "Falco, Peppy, Krystal. I want you guys to go down to the armory and keep tabs on what you find. We'll need to know what to buy when we get to Corneria." he finished. Falco and Peppy nodded at his orders, but Krystal had a worried look on her face. Fox smiled. "Don't worry Krystal. Falco and Peppy will show you where to go." he told her.

Krystal brightened at his statement. "OK." she replied, somewhat reluctantly. _'What I _really _want to do is spend my time with Fox.' _she thought. She looked at Fox for a moment before walking over to the beckoning Falco and Peppy.

Slippy turned to Fox. "What about me?" he asked.

Fox looked at him briefly before turning to his desk and his large command chair. "I need your help with something, Slippy." the vulpine told him. "Follow me." Fox walked over to his desk. Slippy gave him a bewildered look, but followed anyway.

Fox sat down in his chair, his mind flushed with thoughts. _'Krystal may not know what really happened to Cerinia, but I'll figure it out. I won't stop searching until I find the real answer.' _he thought. _'I promise you, Krystal.'_

* * *

(A/N: Done! Sorry it took me almost 2 weeks to update, but I've been real busy with school. I've had like 3 or 4 projects to work on at the same time, so it was pretty crazy. If you want to, you can review this chapter, but you don't need to feel obligated or anything... See ya for chapter 2!)


	3. Chapter 2: James Clawshot McAllen

(A/N: Hey, everybody! Man, you guys really went at it with the reviews. Thanks to all that read and reviewed, and to those who just read. Well, as I mentioned before, I'll be introducing my OC in this chapter. In fact, the entire chapter will be about him. Here's some things about how he'll affect the story:

1.) He'll be a BIG part of the story.  
2.) He will in no way affect the relationship between Fox and Krystal.  
3.) As far as all the characters' skills go, except for Krystal's telepathy, my OC's skills are basically all the characters' skills combined. In short, he's a beast.  
4.) My OC does have relations to the McCloud family. Not genetically, but he knows them. He also has relations with another character, but I'm not telling which one it is.

Don't worry. Chapter 3 will get back to Fox and his crew, but for now, enjoy meeting my OC! Oh, and just a warning. There's going to be real-world references in this chapter, and possibly future chapters. Well, here ya go!

P.S.: Darkinspace, I liked your advice and I'll gladly take it. I did read over the first part of Ch. 1, and I saw what you were saying. I'll definitely make things more descriptive, so there's no confusion. Now, on with the story!)

* * *

Chapter 2: James "Clawshot" McAllen

General Pepper looked at the computer screen on his brown colored desk. He had just finished speaking to Star Fox, whom he had assigned a mission to more than two weeks ago. The hound dog was relieved to know that Fox and his team were fine, and he was curious as to why Falco was there, and to who Krystal was. The General smiled at the situation, knowing Fox had much to tell him when he got back tomorrow. Unbeknown to Fox, General Pepper had some interesting pieces of information to tell the vulpine as well.

The General looked over at a small speaker to his left that he used to contact his secretary, pressing a red button on the front of it. "Susan." he spoke to it. He waited a few moments before his assistant responded.

"Yes, General?" came the reply from the gray speaker, and from the supposed Susan.

"Find the Fleet Admiral and tell him that I need to see him in my office. I've some news to give him." Pepper said, pressing the red button. "Oh, and would you mind getting me a cup of coffee? I sure do need it."

"Begging your pardon, General, but you _do_ have legs." Susan answered him curtly over the speaker.

The General smiled. "I should know better than to ask you to get coffee for me, shouldn't I, Susan? I still need you to tell the Admiral of my request."

Laughing could be heard from the speaker. "Of course, General." Susan said. The General nodded and got up from his chair, walked through the large, gray painted office to his door, which slid open at his approach. The hound dog exited his office, beginning to wander the CSCDF (Cornerian Space Command & Defense Fleet) headquarters, searching for the coffee machine.

* * *

The Fleet Admiral's office was just as large as General Pepper's was, and just as gray, but with the upper half of the walls and ceiling painted white, giving the room a more welcoming atmosphere. The sun was shining bright through the back wall's window, and the window stretched almost all the way across the wall, which illuminated every part of the office. There was a bookcase standing against the left wall, it's three racks filled with books and folders. Set up against the right wall was a short table with a large, expensive looking stereo system sitting on top of it. A black and gray iPod nano laid next to the stereo, a black cord connected to the iPod, going to the back of the stereo. The song playing was one of the Admiral's favorites, Through the Fire and Flames by Dragonforce. The intense rock song was just starting, playing loudly.

Seated at his large brown desk, singing along and humming the guitar, was Fleet Admiral James "Clawshot" McAllen himself. He was in the middle of signing off on his weekly paperwork, slightly head-banging while listening to the song.

Clawshot was a gray wolf, similar in looks to Wolf. The lupine was tall, muscular, and slightly intimidating, his sharp purple eyes always seeming to be piercing right through whatever they were looking at. He was wearing his officer's uniform, which was a white, full-length suit, with gray, red, and blue stripes going down the sides. His CSC belt was strapped loosely around his waist for no apparent reason.

Clawshot's pointed ears twitched, suddenly hearing a light knock at his door, even through the loud noise of the song. He picked up a small remote, aimed it at the stereo, and pressed a button down, immediately causing the volume to go down on the system to a reasonable level. "Come in." the lupine said in a smooth, deep voice. He pressed a button underneath his desk, unlocking his door.

Walking into the room was someone that Clawshot saw often during his work days. It was Susan, General Pepper's secretary. _'Great. The only time that she ever comes in here is when the General needs something. Ugh. What could it _possibly _be this time?' _Clawshot whined in his mind. "Ah, Susan. What can I do for you?" he greeted pleasantly, dispite the smug look on his face.

The white she-cat got straight to the point. "The General has requested your presence in his office." she explained.

"Already? Did he say what it was about?" Clawshot asked, a thoughtful look in his eyes. _'I knew it.'_ he thought.

"No, but it sounded urgent." Susan told him. Clawshot was silent for a moment, then sighed in defeat.

"Alright. Tell him I'll be there in a minute. I've still got papers to finish." the lupine told her, going back to his signature writing.

Susan nodded, retreating out of the office. Clawshot signed the last paper in the stack, and put it in a black, plastic basket sitting on the corner of his desk, letting it fall on top of the other papers. Clawshot got up from his seat, stretched his back and arms, then walked out of his office, heading in the direction of the coffee machine. _'I hope this is about Star Fox.' _he thought.

* * *

General Pepper sat back down into his office chair, taking a sip of his coffee. Just as he was about to signal Susan via speaker, the said feline walked into the General's office.

"Sir, I've been to Admiral Clawshot's office." she reported.

Pepper nodded. "Well, what did he say?" the canine asked.

"He said that he would be here in a minute. He still had his morning paperwork to finish." Susan told him. General Pepper nodded again, signaling his acceptance of her words.

"Very good. Thank you, Susan." he said. Susan nodded, walking out of his office and back to her desk in the lobby. The General took another sip of his coffee, leaning back in his chair. After about five minutes of waiting, Pepper's office door slid open, revealing none other than Clawshot, strolling in holding his own small cup of coffee, taking a sip as the door slid shut.

"Hiya, General Pepper!" Clawshot exclaimed, giving his only superior a small salute. "How's your morning been?"

Pepper returned the salute more respectfully, standing up straight with his heels together. "It's been fine, Clawshot." He sat back down. "Please, take a seat. I've got some good news and some bad news for you."

Clawshot nodded and took his seat, grabbing a chair in front of the desk and turning it around, so the back of the chair faced General Pepper. Clawshot sat down and took another sip of his coffee, staring intently at the General. "Hm, by the sound of things, I think I want the good news first, if you don't mind."

"Why not tell you the bad news first?" Pepper implied. Clawshot shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess I'm not in the mood to get all worried over possibly nothing." the lupine stated, taking a swig of his coffee.

The General scoffed. "That's not like you at all, James."

"That's Clawshot." he said with mild irritation. "Anyway, what's the story? Anything about Star Fox?"

"Actually, yes! I just made contact with Fox this morning." Pepper said, surprise evident on his face at Clawshot's quick deduction.

"Well, what did he have to say?" Clawshot asked, quickly becoming interested in the conversation.

"According to Fox, the mission that I assigned them two weeks ago was successful, and they're on their way here as we speak. They should arrive around this time tomorrow." the old canine explained. "Which reminds me, I need to remember to pay them." The General paused, looking over Clawshot's thoughtful face. "Do you still plan on asking Fox if you can join his team?"

Clawshot remained silent for a moment, contemplating on how he should answer. He sighed, then looked up at the Cornerian general. "Yes, yes I do." he stated firmly.

"Are you sure I can't persuade you into staying with the CSC?" Pepper asked. Clawshot shook his head, smiling.

"Heh, sorry, sir, but I've already made my decision, and I've already told you why." Clawshot replied.

"Yes, yes. You want to be more independent, and I can understand that to an extent," the General said, "but I still wish you would be staying here. I need your leadership on the board."

Clawshot chuckled. "You'll probably be better off without me..." Clawshot was famous in the CSC for his ability as a soldier, but he was almost infamous in the CSC for his "wild" streak, disagreeing with other board members on matters of discussion, sometimes on purpose because of a supposed "grudge" the lupine had against the other. Clawshot was even known to be somewhat hard at partying.

General Pepper understood what Clawshot was getting at. "Hm, maybe your right." The pair of high-ranking officers shared a laugh before the General got back to business. "Anyway, here comes the bad news." the canine started.

Clawshot rolled his eyes. "Oh, goody. Lay it on me, General." he said.

The General turned around in his chair, picking up a remote from his desk. He pressed a button, and in an instant a translucent shade fell over the back wall's wide window, and a hologram projector was being displayed in front of them. "Last night, our cloaked spy satellite stationed on Venom took an interesting image." Pepper explained. Clawshot's facial expression went from one of curiosity and interest to one of worry and anger as General Pepper pressed another button to reveal the said image.

The image consisted mostly of the black vacuum and the outer part of Venom on the right side of the photo, but what caught the eyes' attention were the fighters in the foreground. Four of them in all, it seemed.

The General continued gazing at the image as he spoke. "Look carefully at this picture, Clawshot. Who do you see inside the cockpit of the nearest fighter?" the canine questioned.

Clawshot stared intently at the image, eyes narrowed. Then his eyes shot open wide, recognizing the pilot almost instantly. "Leon?! That's Star Wolf?!" the lupine said disbelievingly.

"It seems so, and it also looks as if they've aquired another member." Pepper said. "We know of Wolf, Leon, and Andrew, but there's obviously another."

Clawshot examined the image again. "Wait. There's one more." he stated. The General looked confused.

"What? Where? I don't see it." the canine officer said.

Clawshot got up from his seat and pointed to a small gray and black object on the left side of the image. "Here." he stated.

General Pepper shrugged. "What about it?"

"What does it look like to you, sir?" Clawshot asked.

"I don't know," Pepper admitted, "Space junk?"

"No, look closer at the details. Take a look at the front of Leon's Wolfen, then look at the object on the left." Clawshot instructed. "Notice any similarities?"

The General inspected the image once more, doing as Clawshot said. His eyes spread wide at the realization. "Oh, I see it now." the canine said in a low voice. "It's the front end of another Wolfen."

"Exactly. Which means there are _two_ new members instead of one." the lupine Admiral explained. "What exactly does that mean, though? What in God's good name are they doing at Venom?"

General Pepper's face grew dark. "I've no idea, but it can't be anything good." Clawshot nodded in agreement, but before he could say anything in reply, the General's speaker let off a sharp beep, making both officers jump, and Susan's voice sounded not a moment after.

"General?" she asked.

Pepper scooted over to the speaker, pressing the red button. "Yes? What is it?" he replied, slightly annoyed by the interruption.

"There's a Katt Monroe here to see you, sir. She says it's important." Susan said.

The General had a surprised look an his face. Clawshot just looked confused. "Alright. Send her in, please." he said.

"Right away." came Susan's reply. General Pepper had only one thought going through his mind. _'Well, tomorrow could be even more interesting than I thought.'_

Clawshot was also deep in thought. _'I've no idea who this Katt Monroe is, but I can't wait until tomorrow. Man, by this time tomorrow, I'm going to be a member of Star Fox!' _he thought happily, a cheerful grin plastered on his face.

* * *

(A/N: And there it is! Chapter 2 and the intro to Clawshot. Don't ask me where I got the idea for his character. It just came to me 1 day, and I think I like it... Anyway, I hope you all pictured the Wolfen's from Star Fox: Assault because that design was fucking awesome. To be honest, I thought the vehicle designs from Assault in all were amazing, especially the Great Fox! Anyway, sorry for the massive wait, but there you have it! Ch. 3 goes back to Fox and his team, so be ready! Please review! I really want to know what you think of Clawshot.)


	4. Chapter 3: Alliances Shift

(A/N: BOOM! And let the story continue! I apologize now for the long wait. You see, I had this thing happen, this thing called writer's block. At first, I thought I had this chapter figured out, but then I started to think about what the characters would be doing, and how I would get Clawshot into the picture, and it all got tangled together, so I really couldn't put it in the right place. Don't worry, I eventually figured it all out, so now we can enjoy this on-going story. Chapter 3 goes back to Star Fox, and that point of view should continue throughout the story. I thank those who reviewed or read. Enjoy!)

* * *

Chapter 3: Alliances Shift

Fox led Slippy over to his command chair and desk area. Slippy noticed that Fox was walking with a sense of urgency. _'Wonder what's got into him...' _Slippy wondered. As Fox sat down and turned his chair to his desk's computer screen, Slippy tapped Fox's shoulder.

"Um, Fox?" Slippy said quietly. "You okay? You seem kinda stressed all of a sudden." _'I'll bet this has something to do with Krystal.' _the toad thought.

Fox never turned his gaze away from the screen as he began typing something. "All will become clear soon enough." the vulpine said. He continued typing for a moment more, then turned to Slippy, who had his eyes narrowed at the screen. "Has your dad ever written any articles on the Internet?"

Slippy waved his hand. "Oh, yeah. Tons of 'em." he replied. "Why do you ask?"

Fox turned back to the screen. "Actually, I wanted to know if Beltino has ever written an article on Cerinia." Fox paused, studying Slippy's puzzled look. "You know, Krystal's home planet."

Slippy's face perked up. "Oh, that's right! She did tell us that, didn't she?" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, she did." the vulpine replied. "Do you know if your dad has written anything on it?"

Slippy shrugged. "I've no idea. He might have, I don't know. I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you."

Fox turned back to the computer screen, waiting for the web page to load. "Well, you won't know until you try, right?" Fox commented, resting his chin on his fist. Slippy nodded, turning his own gaze to the screen. The page Fox was looking for finally popped up. Fox narrowed his eyes, scrolling down the page, skimming over what he saw. The Star Fox captain noticed a particular link that read List of articles written by Beltino Toad. Fox smirked. "Here we go." he said. The next page loaded quickly, showing the crew members the many articles Slippy's father had written.

Slippy gave a start. "Wow. I didn't know Dad wrote _this_ many articles!"

"How much free time does your dad have?" Fox asked his friend, laughing.

"Enough, apparently." Slippy replied. They shared a laugh and turned their views back toward the screen. Fox began to scroll down the new page, looking for the name of Krystal's home planet in a link. As Slippy was just starting to get bored and lose hope of finding anything, the toad noticed an article titled Cerinia: The Lost Planet. "Fox! Look, right there!" he shouted, pointing directly at the link.

Fox's eyes shot open in complete surprise. "Yes!" the vulpine exclaimed, giving a small, left-handed fist pump. He clicked on the link quickly, waiting impatiently for the article to load. Fox began tapping his foot quickly. _'Damn it! Hurry up!' _he thought angrily. Soon enough, the screen loaded, and Fox's attention was immediately captured by the words. Slippy began reading himself, mildly interested, for he had not known his father to have any knowledge of Cerinia. Although, it didn't come as a complete surprise, his father being the Chief Mechanic and Assistant Research Director for the CSC.

At this point, Fox had begun reading the article aloud. "Cerinia, although primitive, had always been a peaceful, properous planet. However, about two or three years ago, the planet apparently experienced extreme amounts of seismic activity, and, even more puzzling, the series of earthquakes abruptly stopped a few days later, then, completely unexpected, the planet apparently self-destructed, releasing a blast radius large and powerful enough that it destroyed the two moons revolving around the planet." He paused, taking in what he had just read.

Slippy looked concerned. "Fox, are you okay?" he asked, laying his hand on Fox's broad shoulder.

The vulpine chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm fine, Slips. I'm just kind of confused."

"Whys that?" Slippy pressed.

Fox looked directly at Slippy. "Why would a completely stable planet just randomly start getting earthquakes, then explode a few days later. None of it makes sense. There has to be something more." Slippy nodded as Fox turned back to the screen and began reading again. As he started reading a particular sentence, Fox held his breath. "Slippy, take a look at this." he instructed.

Slippy leaned in and started reading aloud from where Fox was pointing. "Some speculation is involved with what actually happened with Cerinia's destruction. Most believe the scenario that I recalled earlier is the one to go by, but some suspect that the former CSC Chief Medical and Chemical Scientist Andross was involved with the situation." Slippy gave his captain a perplexed look, while Fox was glaring at the words menacingly.

"Keep going." Fox said in a low voice. Slippy nodded and started again.

"The CSC had received knowledge that Andross had developed a bomb of such power and destruction that it was capable of annihilating an entire planetary system. These were just rumors at the time, but after Cerinia's demise, some CSC scientists started to fear that the rumors weren't just rumors anymore, thus leading some to believe that Andross was responsible for Cerinia destruction, not adding on the fact that Andross is arguably the most hated person in Corneria." Slippy stopped reading, looking to Fox. "Do you think all of that is true?" the toad asked, mildly afraid of what Andross would've been able to do with a nuclear bomb of that kind of power, if he hadn't already done so.

Fox released a breath he had known he was holding. "I'll bet any kind of money that what Beltino wrote here is true. I'll bet anything." Fox said angrily. "If it _is_true, Andross got what he deserved an Sauria, a painful, merciless, death." Fox clenched his right hand into a tight fist. "Fucking monkey." he spat, slamming his fist into the metal of his desk.

Slippy nodded. "I totally agree with you that Andross got what he deserved, but I'm still not entirely sure that I believe that Andross was capable of destroying an entire planet, along with it's inhabitants. He was mad scientist, not a mass murderer." he reasoned.

Fox nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess so. Hey, maybe we could find your dad and ask him about it when we get to Corneria."

"Ya took the words right out of my mouth." Slippy replied smirking, crossing his arms. "Are you a telepath like Krystal now?" The toad was obviously trying his best to get off the subject of Andross. The very mention of the mad scientist's name put Fox on edge.

"Hmph, yeah right!" Fox responded, rolling his eyes. The pair shared a laugh, Fox much enjoying the subject of Krystal over his nemesis. However, Fox couldn't help but think in the back of his mind, _'If Andross really did make a bomb like that, what stopped him from making more, and if _that's _true, then who has their hands on them now?'_

* * *

Falco, Peppy, and Krystal had reached the armory at this point in time, and had begun keeping tabs of what they found inside. Peppy had grabbed an electronic clipboard to keep track of what they found, while Falco and Krystal searched the armory for what very little things the Great Fox had stored.

Falco pried open a large crate from the top, peering inside to see what it held. "Gotta a few assault rifles over here!" Falco shouted behind him, waving his feather in the air.

"Okay. How many are there?" Peppy asked, touching the clipboard.

Falco counted the weapons silently. "Seven of 'em." he shouted.

Peppy nodded. "Alright. Thanks, Falco." The avian gave Peppy a small salute, then turned to the next crate. Peppy chuckled at the sarcastic bird, then turned to Krystal, who had walked up to him with a small box in her arms.

Krystal gave the hare a confused look. "Peppy, what are these things?" Peppy leaned over the open top of the box, narrowing his eyes into his glasses to see better.

He snickered when he saw a bunch of opaque navy-blue disks in the box. "Oh, these are cloaking devices." he answered.

"Cloaking devices? You mean they make you invisible?" the vixen asked, very curious. Peppy grabbed one of the devices out of their container.

"Exactly." he said. He pushed down on the small black button on the device, making him disappear. Krystal's eyes shot open in surprise, her mouth open slightly. Peppy reappeared a moment later. "They last a long time, even though I just came back. That happened because I pressed the black button again." Krystal nodded smiling, placing the box into Peppy's outstretched arms. "How many of them are there?" Peppy asked her, peering into the box again.

Krystal's sapphire eyes drifted to Falco, who was moving a empty crate out of his way. "I counted sixteen." Peppy nodded, thanking her as he walked away to observe the items in already open crates. Krystal stood there thinking about what Fox would do about her learning to fly and shoot a gun. _'This life as a mercenary is going to be crazy and possibly life-threatening, but if all the others have survived this long and still keep their sanity and composure, then I can do it, too! I have to try my best!' _she thought, determined.

* * *

A small group of people were seated at a large, round table in a dimly lite room. Six chairs were placed around the table, the individuals occupying five of them. A wolf had his feet propped up on the table, his hands behind his head. A chameleon sitting to his left was tapping his fingers on the table impatiently, his cold stare fixed at the wall. A panther was seated at the lizard's left, the feline crossing his arms and smirking at his reptile companion. An ape sat in the chair to the left of the feline, sitting quietly and looking around nervously. Finally, the fifth individual sitting to the monkey's left was a dog, a collie to be precise. She had her fingers laced together, staring off into space.

Leon had had enough with waiting around, slamming his fists on the metal table. He yelled, "Ah! How long do these fools think they can keep us waiting?!"

Wolf never opened his eyes. "Calm down. They'll get here when they get here. Whoever they are."

Leon glared at his leader. "How can you be so cool about this? We came here on a summons expecting to meet someone we don't even know, then they put us in this dark room, making us wait for at least an hour with nothing to do. Why did you even agree to this?"

"Because I thought it would be interesting. Now shut up and sit down, before I make you." Wolf ordered. Leon complied, still glaring at the lupine.

"I have to agree with Leon. This room is making me claustrophobic." Panther commented.

"No one asked for your opinion." Wolf said coolly. Panther chuckled at Wolf's reply, but said nothing in return. Oikanny remained quiet, the simian never losing his nervousness of the situation.

Leslie looked at Wolf. "Who would've produced an army like this? The amount of soldiers that they have is incredible. It'd seem like it would take years to make an army of this size." she wondered

Wolf scoffed. "Who knows? The sooner we find out the better, though. I'm starting to agree with Leon." Leslie nodded, then returned to thinking, as did the others. All was quiet for another ten minutes. Before Leon could go on another rant, the large metal door behind the only empty chair shuddered as it's bars were retracted, releasing the lock on it. Every member of Star Wolf's attention was on the door as it opened, letting in a little more light. A silluette of a man walked through the doorway, the door closing behind him. The anonymous person took a seat in the empty chair, looking around at the shocked faces of Star Wolf's members. His face had come into the dim light, revealing his identity.

"Wolf O'Donnell, Leon Powalski, Panther Carosso, Andrew Oikanny, and Leslie Gordona. I welcome you, members of Star Wolf. I apologize for the wait. I had matters to attend to before I could join you here." a gruff, raspy voice addressed the team.

"Uncle?!" Oikanny gasped in surprise.

"Andross?!" Wolf said in shock.

* * *

(A/N: Can you say cliffhanger? Yes, Leslie Gordona is another OC. Sorry I didn't announce that. I wanted it to be a surprise. I hope you like this chapter, because I sure do! It makes you wonder what the next will be like. Please review! I'd inspire me to update more often.)


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